


untitled

by CityEscape4



Series: Zexal Pokémon Trainer AU [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Durbe has two moms, Pokémon Trainer AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-12 12:01:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18446144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CityEscape4/pseuds/CityEscape4
Summary: They've met many people on their travels, but no one's intrigued the Kamishiro twins as much as the young man riding atop a shiny Rapidash.





	untitled

After a day's worth of walking, the scent of sea water began to fade from the air, replaced by the heavy aroma healthy foliage as Rio and Ryoga Kamishiro walked along the path leading out of Vermilion City, heading eastwards towards the Kanto Region's east coast. The rustle and bustle of wild Pokémon always lingered, never truly fading from earshot, and the twins wouldn't have had it any other way. 

"What's the map say, Rio?" Ryoga asked, not looking at his sister. His attention was more focused on polishing his shiny new Thunder Badge, nestled snugly in its case next to the Cascade Badge he'd won in Cerulean City.

"Well," Rio began, her eyes fixated on the map as they walked, "There's no city or town directly east of Vermilion. Once we hit the coast, we can either go back up north and re-visit Lavender Town, or we can go south, the once we hit the south coast, go west to Fuchsia City."

"I vote south." Ryoga looked up from his badge case then, closing it and tucking it back into his duffel bag, and turning his attention to Rio. "Fuchsia City has a gym, and it'll give me time to think about how to deal with the gym in Celadon City. Lieutenant Surge mentioned that the gym there specializes in Grass type Pokémon, and my team and I barely got by with an Electric type gym."

Rio gave a cheeky smile at that, folding the map as she spoke. "Maybe half your team shouldn't be made up of Water Pokémon."

"Says the one with half a team of Ice types." Ryoga muttered, only to receive a thwack on the head with the folded up map for his remark.

"I think we should have bought those bikes back in Vermilion." Rio said, placing the map in the side pocket of her backpack. "We could have gone up northwest to Celadon, gotten the gym out of the way, and then ride the bike path down to Fuchsia, and back up afterwards in case we needed to restock on supplies at the mall."

"You just wanna go for the mall, don't try and trick me."

"I just want us to have whatever we need! Those bikes would have helped!"

"We have bikes back home in Hoenn! We don't need to buy another set of bikes!"

"And what good are they doing us there?!"

The two began bickering back and forth for some time, and only stopped when they were interrupted by the sound of rustling coming from the underbrush that lined the path they were on. Immediately, they stopped, hands at their Pokéballs, which rested on their belts. At the muffled sound of voices they eased somewhat, but were right back on guard again when the voices became clearer, enough so that they could make out what was being said.

"The boss is gonna love this li'l guy, ain't he?"

"He better. Snatchin' him from them ranch folk was harder than I thought it was gonna be! My Golbat needs time to rest."

"We'll be good once we get back to Headquarters. We'll probably get a pretty penny for this Pokémon."

Rio and Ryoga shared knowing looks with each other, before turning to face the direction the voices were coming from. 'The Boss'? Stealing Pokémon? Those voices had to have belonged to Team Rocket, a criminal organization the twins learned about when coming to Kanto.

They each grabbed at a Pokéball from their belts, prepping themselves for the gang members that were approaching. After a moment's wait, two members of Team Rocket made their way out of the undergrowth of the path, one member holding a glass dome-like container which housed a small, bipedal feline-like Pokémon, one neither of the twins had ever seen before. The Pokémon in the container was clearly wailing, and pounding against its constraints, but there was no sound coming from the container. The grunts locked eyes with Rio and Ryoga, before one spoke.

"I dunno what you're thinkin' 'bout doin', but don't." The taller of the two - a slender woman with short pink hair - warned.

"I'm thinking about beating the crap out of some Team Rocket punks." Ryoga said with a smirk, as he tossed his Pokéball up in the air and caught it as it fell. He ten turned his attention to his sister. "What do you think, Rio?"

Rio gave a light 'hmph' before clicking the center button on her Pokéball, so that it enlarged to its full size. "Funny, I was thinking something similar, Ryoga."

"Dammit." The shorter of the two grunts, a stockily built man with lime green hair, cursed as he shifted his hold so that he was holding his captive Pokémon in one hand, and reached for a Pokéball with the other. "Go, Raticate!"

The female grunt followed suit, grabbing a Pokéball. "Go, Golbat!"

The two Pokémon emerged from their Pokéballs, Raticate landing with a solid 'thud' on the path, and Golbat screeching as it kept itself airborne, the latter of the two visiby worn out somewhat.

In return, the twins sent out their Pokémon in unison. 

"Have at them, Garchomp!"

"Come on out, Froslass!"

Their two Pokémon landed on the path as well, Ryoga's Garchomp landing with a heavier 'thud' than the male grunt's Raticate. The two grunts shared a concerned look, but stood their ground, intent on somehow getting out of there with their newly acquired prize. 

"Raticate!" The male grunt commanded, "Use Crunch on that Garchomp!"

The female grunt was quick to follow up after her partner, "Golbat, use Poison Fang on Froslass!"

Rio smirked, and lifted a hand. "Use Icy Wind, Froslass!"

Before either Team Rocket grunt could land their attack, Rio's Froslass used its commanded attack, the span of the attack hitting both the Raticate and the Golbat, the latter of which it was super effective on. While it made the Golbat stop in its tracks, the Raticate fought through the wind, and landed its Crunch on Ryoga's Garchomp, only to squeal in pain and jump back.

"R-Raticate? Are you ok?!"

"Your Raticate got a mouth full of my Garchomp's Rough Skin." Ryoga explained, as Garchomp quickly recovered from the attack. "You can't land any physical attacks without hurting yourself as well."

Before Ryoga could continue and call out an attack of his own, the sound of galloping began to become make itself known from far off down the path, faint at first, but rapidly approaching. It wasn't long at all before a figure made itself known at the far end of the path, outlined by the setting sun, and as it grew closer, all parties realized it was a young man on a Rapidash.

"Shit!" The female grunt cursed, "We gotta move! We can't take all three of 'em!"

The male grunt looked at his partner, eyes wide. "But the Pokémon--"

"Just leave it 'n run! Ranch boy'll catch up t'us if we keep it!"

Seething, the male grunt placed the container holding the captured Pokémon on the ground, before the both of them recalled their Pokémon and high-tailed it into the woods. The young man and his Rapidash nearly moved to follow them, but upon seeing the container on the ground, the Rapidash skidded to a stop and let the young man off. Hurrying towards the container, the young man called out: "Espurr!"

The Espurr was still visibly wailing in its confines, not seeming to calm down, even as the young man approached. Rio took one look at the Pokémon and shook her head, moving to hide behind her twin brother. Nope, it looked way too feline for her liking. "What kind of Pokémon is an Espurr?"

Ryoga took out his National Pokédex, scanned the Espurr, and listened to the entry:

> _Espurr: the Restraint Pokémon. Espurr fold their ears to cover the yellow, ring-shaped organs that emit its intense psychic powers; so intense, that Espurr sometimes have problems controlling it._

"I can't get her out!" The young man exclaimed as he strained to pull the glass casing off, "This case is stuck on tight!" He looked around the base of the container for any buttons or switches but found none.

Rio and Ryoga recalled their Pokémon back into their Pokéballs, and Ryoga rushed towards the young man, Rio staying behind. She admittedly wanted to help, but was terrified of cat Pokémon. Ryoga looked at the glass dome, frowning as he nor the young man found any sort of release mechanism to free the trapped Espurr. 

"We might have to break the glass," Ryoga suggested.

"You might be right," The young man said, "I just don't want to accidentally hurt Espurr in the process."

"I might be able to help." Both males turned to look at Rio, who was reaching for another Pokéball. She released the Pokémon inside: a Weavile. "Weavile's claws are very sharp; If he's quick enough, he should be able to slash through the top of the glass and slice it clean off, without hurting your Espurr."

Both Ryoga and the young man shared a look and nodded, the young man placing the container on the ground and stepping away to give Weavile room.

"Ok Weavile," Rio said, watching as her Weavile stood in place and looked back at her, "Use Slash on the across the top of the glass!"

Weavile nodded and sliced a claw across the top of the glass, slicing the top of the container clean off. The minute Weavile did, however, the wails that had been previously silenced were let loose, the Espurr wailing so loudly that the three of them had to cover their ears, and Weavile was visibly hurt.

"I think she's using Disarming Voice!" The young man yelled, trying to be heard over the wails of his Espurr.

Recognizing that as a Fairy type move, Rio quickly recalled her Weavile, not wanting it to be hurt any further from the Espurr's wailing attack. "Is there any way to get it to stop?!" She yelled in response. 

The young man winced as he put his hands down, reaching down to grab the feline Pokémon, "Espurr!" He yelled, trying to get through to it. "Espurr, it's ok!"

At the sound of his voice, Espurr turned, looking at the young man, but kept wailing. It wasn't until the young man gathered the small Pokémon in his arms that it began to quiet down, its wails dying into small mewls. "There we go, it's ok..." The young man held Espurr up to his chest, the cat-like Pokémon nuzzling up against his shoulder. "I've got you, Espurr."

The twins pulled their hands away from their ears once they were sure that the Espurr was done, and shared a look before turning their attention to the young man before them, looking him over. His face was framed by gray hair that nearly matched the flames on his Rapidash, similarly colored gray eyes framed by glasses. He wore a puffy white shirt, which was tucked into his jeans.

It was then the young man looked up at them, and sighed. "I'm sorry about my Espurr. Are you both alright?"

"I might be deaf in one ear," Ryoga quipped, folding his arms, "but yeah, I think we're fine."

With a sigh, the young man shifted so that he was holding Espurr with one arm, freeing the other and extending it. "I'm Durbe. And you are?"

Ryoga walked to meet Durbe's hand and shook it, nodding slightly, "I'm Ryoga."

From behind them, Rio stayed firmly in place. "I'm Rio."

"Don't mind her," Ryoga said as Durbe gave a confused look at Rio for staying far back, "She doesn't like cat Pokémon."

"Oh." Durbe frowned slightly, looking from Espurr to Rio, "Sorry, I have her Pokéball, but I don't think she'd be willing to go into it right now from the looks of it." In response, Espurr shook its head, nuzzling its face into Durbe's shoulder with a purr. "And honestly," he said, using his free hand to gently scratch at her head, "I don't blame her."

"Well I'm glad she's back where she belongs." Rio piped up, still keeping her distance. 

"I am too," Durbe agreed, smiling softly down at Espurr before looking to the twins. "Thank you both, for stopping Team Rocket."

Rio and Ryoga both nodded in response, before Ryoga spoke. "Those goons mentioned a ranch that they attacked, is that where you came from?"

Durbe nodded. "Yes, I live there with my moms, we run a Ponyta and Rapidash ranch. Those Team Rocket members have been at our place before, trying to steal Mach, but this time they changed tactics on us, and got away with Espurr."

Ryoga arched an eyebrow, "Mach?"

Durbe looked at Ryoga confusedly, before blinking and realizing he needed to explain himself. "Oh, sorry, Mach is the name I gave my partner." He motioned to the Rapidash waiting patently behind him, "Team Rocket's been after him since he was a Ponyta, because he's shiny."

"Well the name fits," Ryoga replied with a smirk, "The way he barreled down the path took us all by surprise."

"Thanks," Durbe smiled at that, looking over at Mach, "I've been taking care of him since he was born, and I've done all I can to make sure he's been raised healthy."

The hooting of a Noctowl flying by overhead caught their attention, and Rio frowned. "Its getting late."

"Well," Durbe began, "If its ok with my moms, I'm sure the two of you can sleep at our place for the night, in thanks for helping me and Espurr."

Rio smiled gently at that, "We'd really appreciate it, right Ryoga?" She turned to look at her brother then, who nodded in response.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Well then, we better get going." Durbe said. "Its not too far from here, but we'll have to walk. Even if Mach let anyone other than me ride him, he wouldn't be able to hold all three of us."

With Mach leading the way, the three of them walked together along the path back to the ranch, into the setting sun.

* * *

Once they arrived at the ranch, the twins were greeted with the sight of droves of Ponyta and Rapidash, with a Stoutland amidst them, the glow of dozens of fiery manes illuminated the ranch against the early evening sky. Being back at the ranch seemed to allow the Espurr in Durbe's hands to calm finally, and she squirmed in Durbe's hold, wanting to be put down. Durbe complied, and the Espurr made her way back towards the house on the hill overlooking the fields.

Watching over the Ponyta and Rapidash from close by was a stout older woman, with braided graying black hair, who at the sound of Mach's hooves treading along the path, turned to see who was there. "Oh, Durbe!" She rushed over, hugging him close, "I'm glad you're alright! Your mother and I were worried when you didn't come straight back! We--" It was then she noticed Rio and Ryoga, and let go of her son to properly greet them. "Why, hello! Who are your friends, son?"

Durbe chuckled, straightening himself out after his mom's crushing hug. "Mom, this is Ryoga and Rio Kamishiro. They helped me retrieve Espurr from Team Rocket."

"Oh, they did?" A bright smile graced the woman's face, "Well thank you so much!" She hugged the two of them as well, Ryoga yelping in surprise as she did. At that noise, Durbe's mother pulled back, a sheepish look on her face. "Sorry kids, I'm a hugger." 

"Mom's originally from the Kalos region," Durbe explained as Ryoga and Rio straightened themselves out, "and they're very... openly affectionate there."

"What can I say? It's in my blood." She said with a smile. "My name's Haruka, it's a pleasure to meet you both. Thank you again for helping my son."

"It was no problem," Rio replied, smiling back at Haruka, "We overheard them saying they stole a Pokémon and couldn't just stand by and let them make off with it."

"Plus it was a chance to let my Garchomp have some fun after he missed out on the gym back in Vermilion." Ryoga added.

"Oh? You're doing the gym challenge?" Haruka asked. 

"Yeah, we're originally from Hoenn, and we started there, then went to Alola, and now we're in Kanto doing its gym challenge." Ryoga explained.

"Oh how wonderful!" Haruka exclaimed, her hands going to her cheeks as she gushed over their travels. "Being a traveling trainer was the highlight of my childhood! Its how I met Durbe's mother in Unova."

"Mom!" Durbe groaned, embarrassed at his mother's gushing.

"Well it's true, Durbe!" Haruka turned to look at her son with a bright smile on her face, "You know the story: Your mother was in a forest, researching the seasonal conditions of Deerling, I was a traveling trainer trying to complete the Unova Pokédex, I accidentally caught the Deerling she'd been observing from a safe distance, and she absolutely hated me for it!"

Haruka turned to look at the twins, who had been amused by Durbe's embarrassment. "I apologized and immediately released the Deerling back into the wild, but the damage was done, and it fled immediately. I spent weeks at the laboratory she was working at helping her relocate it and in the process, she ultimately forgave me and we grew closer and--" 

"We get it, Mom." Durbe said, his cheeks flushed as he cut her off.

Haruka let out a hearty laugh, her hands going to her hips as she turned to look at her son again. "Durbe, are you worried I'm going to embarrass you in front of your new friends? Because if that's what you're worried about, I could easily tell them some stories about you when you were a baby, and--"

"Actually," Rio interrupted, wanting to spare the reddening Durbe any more humiliation, "Durbe offered us a place to stay for the night as thanks for helping him, so long as it was ok with you."

That managed to pull Haruka's attention off her son and back onto the twins. "Well of course that's fine with me! You'll have to check with my wife Maria, however. She's out in the barn checking on some of our Ponyta that were injured in the frenzy those Team Rocket rascals caused."

"Thanks Mom." Durbe said, before motioning to Rio and Ryoga. "Let's go."

The twins followed Durbe to the ranch's barn, passing by a field of Ponyta and Rapidash in the process. It was quite the sight, seeing a plethora of healthily raised and cared for Pokémon all kept in one place. Upon reaching the barn, Durbe opened the door for them, letting them in before himself. Once they were all inside, they were met with the sight of an older woman with long dark violet hair tending to a poisoned Ponyta, no doubt a victim of the female grunt's Golbat.

"How's she looking?" Durbe asked, walking towards his mother, the twins not far behind.

"Poison Fang hit her hard, but she'll recover." Maria looked over at Durbe, not noticing the newcomers behind him. "Could you grab me the mortar and pestle? I have some Pecha berries here but she's not wanting to chew."

"Yes ma'am." Durbe moved then, going into a nearby stall and re-emerging with a mortar and pestle, handing it to his mother. 

"Who are your friends?" She asked, nodding in Rio and Ryoga's direction while keeping her eyes on mashing the berries in the mortar. 

"They're a couple of traveling trainers who helped me get Espurr back from Team Rocket." Durbe explained, watching as his mother grinded away at the berries. "I offered them a place to stay for the night since its getting late, and Mom said it was ok with her as long as it was with you."

"That's fine." Maria quickly said, putting the pestle in her lap and feeding the Ponyta from the mortar. "They can stay for the night."

Rio and Ryoga looked at each other in slight amazement. This woman didn't even ask their names and was ok with them staying in her house?

Durbe noticed the look the twins shared and laughed out of awkwardness. "I apologize for my mother, when she focuses on something, its kinda hard to pull her out of it. I promise, she's more mild mannered than this."

"It's ok." Rio reassured, "We know she's just worried about the Pokémon she's looking after."

"Is the Stoutland out in the fields hers?" Ryoga asked.

Durbe nodded in response, and nodded to his mother. "Yeah, that Stoutland was my mother's first Pokémon when she was in the Unova region, and its been her partner ever since. My mom, on the other hand, has a pair of Meowstic she brought with her from Kalos, and thats how I got Espurr."

"A pair of Meowstic?" Rio asked, already inching behind Ryoga.

"Ah, don't worry, they won't be anywhere near you in the house." Durbe said in an attempt to reassure her. "They don't like new people, so they'll just hide in other rooms, I promise."

It was then that Maria stood from her seat, mortar and pestle in hand the Ponyta having drank the mushed berries. "Durbe, take these with you and place them in the sink inside the house." Before Durbe could muster a response to her, she looked over at Rio and Ryoga and blinked, adjusting her glasses. "Oh, that's right. I haven't introduced myself, haven't I?" Extending a hand, Maria spoke again. "My name's Maria, I'm Durbe's mother."

Ryoga shook her hand, preferring this greeting much more to the more 'enthusiastic' greeting Durbe's mom gave. "I'm Ryoga Kamishiro, and this is my twin sister Rio."

"Hello," Rio said, shaking Maria's hand.

"Thank you for helping my son save his Espurr. Those Team Rocket members were crafty this time and would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you, so thank you." Maria then left the stall the Ponyta was in. "She drank the berry mash, so she should be fine with a little bit of sleep." She then looked to Durbe and smiled gently. "I'm glad you you're safe."

"Thanks, Mother." Durbe said, "I owe it to Rio and Ryoga."

"Well, that Ponyta was the last of the ones I needed to check up on." Maria mentioned, beginning to walk towards the barn's entrance. "Haruka's probably gone back to the house to start dinner by now. Let's all go see if she needs any help."

With that, the four of them left the barn, and made their way into the house on the hill. After helping prep and eat their dinner, Haruka and Durbe showed the twins to the front room, where the couches had folded out into beds for them to sleep on. They thanked Haruka and Durbe for their hospitality, and began to get ready for bed.

* * *

Early that next morning, Rio and Ryoga found themselves awakened by Haruka, who apologized for the crack-of-dawn wake up time, but explained that breakfast was ready for them in the kitchen. Reluctantly, the twins rose from the surprisingly comfortable couch beds and proceeded to clean up after themselves, folding their blankets, putting the beds back into the couch, and straightening the pillows they used. They then took turns in the bathroom to get ready.

Once in the kitchen, Haruka served them their plates, and the twins couldn't help but notice that Durbe wasn't downstairs with them. Upon questioning Haruka, she simply smiled and said, "Don't worry kiddos, he'll be ready soon." With that vague answer, she left the kitchen to go work on the ranch, apparently having eaten already.

It was silent as the twins ate, the two of them still somewhat groggy in the early hours of the morning. The silence was broken after they had put their dishes in the sink and began gathering their stuff, by the sound of the stairs creaking from the weight of someone coming down them.

"Durbe?" Rio looked over at the bottom of the stairs, noticing Durbe there with a white shirt, black sweater vest, and green scarf around his neck. He wore gray pants and long tan brown boots, that looked unfit for being a ranch-hand. On his back was a green backpack, visibly stuffed to the brim, and around his waist was a belt, holding two Pokéballs.

"Well, I was thinking, I owe you both for stopping Team Rocket for me, and helping me get my Espurr back." Durbe began, shifting to steady his backpack, "And it's been a while since I really left the ranch for something other than shopping with my parents in the next city over. I was thinking, I could join you both on your journey, that is - if you'll have me."

Rio and Ryoga looked at each other, then back to Durbe, Ryoga speaking up, "Won't your parents need you to help on the ranch?"

"I talked to them about this last night," Durbe said, "And they said they'd be ok without me."

"And Team Rocket?"

"Well, they only attacked because of Mach," Durbe explained, "and I'm bringing him with me. So theoretically, they shouldn't attack the ranch anymore. Even if they did, my parents have their partner Pokémon with them to protect the ranch."

"Well, I'm more than happy to have you along, Durbe." Rio admitted, smiling gently. "And I know Ryoga is too."

"I'm just glad there's someone else to back me up when I say we don't need bikes." Ryoga said.

Rio frowned at her brother, her hands going to her hips. "Don't start this again, Ryoga, we've already been over this."

"I'm just saying--"

"Well don't!"

Durbe laughed sheepishly, wedging himself inbetween the bickering twins in an attempt to separate them and stop their arguing. "Why don't we start heading out now, and you can tell me about this thing you guys have going on with bikes?"

"Well," Rio began, "It all started while we were in Vermilion City..."

As Rio and Ryoga began telling Durbe about their run-in with the bike shop in Vermilion City, the three of them left Durbe's house, Durbe closing the door behind him as he ventured out with his brand new friends into the parts of the Kanto region any of them had yet to tread.

**Author's Note:**

> Listen... i had alot of fun writing this AU and tbh i kinda wanna write more
> 
> also thank you to tumblr user Watermelon-Chan for letting me use their headcanon aboit Durbe having two moms for this fic!
> 
> Fun fact: there's actually a Scientist class trainer named Maria in the original Black and White games and her only Pokémon is a Deerling c:


End file.
